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1.1 INTRODUCTION
The word food brings to our mind countless images. Food is associated with worship
and divinity; with celebration and mourning; with family gatherings and with
community feasting. It is closely interwoven with every feature of our existence. This
is not surprising because food plays a crucial role in our lives. It sustains us. it
nourishes us. It is the 'life-giver".
This unit tells you about food and some of its components. It will give you some
idea about why food is essential for our survival. You will also be introduced to the
terms nurrltion and health.
Nutrition is the term used for the scientific study of food and how it is utilized by
the body. Eating the proper kinds of food in the right amounts is essential to keep us
healthy. In other words, our health is dependent on our eating pattern. This leads US
to the vital question-how much and what should one eat to keep healthy? How
much and what, for example, should an infant consume? Similarly, how much and
what foods should be consumed by a child, a n adolescent, an adult or an old person?
Further, what happens when one eats too much or too little? These are the types of
questions that a study of nutrition helps us answer.
:C Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:
define food, nutrient, nutrition and health
list the functions of food
describe in simple terms how food is handled by.the body
discuss the social, psychological and economic aspects of food and eating
explain the concept of health and
Each of the nutrient categories has a specific physiological role to play. Here the
term "physiological role" refers t o the role of food in maintaining certain specific
body functions. Since food contains nutrients, it has physiological functions too, as
you will learn in the subsequent paragraph. Food also has social and psychological
functions in addition to physiological ones (Figure I .I).
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functioning of the body systems responsible for fighting infections. Even if a person
does develop an infection or any other type of illness, food and the nutrients it
contains facilitate rapid recovery. A person eating a poor diet would take much
longer to recover. He would get ill more easily as well.
The regulatory function mentioned earlier refers to the role of food in controlling
body processes. As you are aware, several processes take place in the body such as
the beating of the heart, maintenance of body temperature and contraction of
muscles. Each of these processes is controlled. Our body temperature, for example, is
maintained a t 98.4"F or 37'C. Similarly, the rate at which the heart beats is also
maintained. This is achieved by certain specific nutrients (among other substances)
and is illustrative of their regulatory function. Vitamins, minerals, and proteins
contribute substantially to both protective and regulatory functions. S o does water.
You are also probably aware that several chemical reactions take place in the body.
With the aid of these chemical reactions, simpler substances are used to build more
complex ones. Similarly, complex substances are broken down into their simpler
components. Figure 1.2 shows you how one or two types of simple units join to form
complex substances and how complex substances break down into their simpler
units. You will understand this better when you go through Units 2 and 3 of Block I.
The rate at which these reactions proceed is carefully controlled according to the
need of the body. Vitamins, minerals and proteins play a major role in contrnlling
these reactions i.e. they act as regulators.
Check Your.Pro#re~Exercise 1
The concept of balance can also be explained by taking the example of calcium and
phosphorus. If the diet contains too much phosphorus, it prevents the body from
taking in enough of calcium. This creates an imbalance between calcium and
phosphorus and affects the bones and teeth. This imbalance can be corrected by
consuming foods that supply the two nutrients in the correct proportions.
In the larger context, the term balance means that the nutrients needed by the body
should be provided in the right amount and proportions. This will, of course, ensure
good health as you see in Figure 1.3(c).
t'ou will learn more about the action, interaction and balance of nutrients in Units 2
and 3 of Block 1, and Units 3 and 4 of Block 2.
to all the cells of the body where they are utilized for different functions.
All the substances in the food which the body cannot absorb are thrown out in
faeces. The processing and handling by the body of absorbed nutrients results in the
formation of certain other substances or by-products. Some of these are harmful and
need to be thrown out of the body. This is achieved by transferring them from the
blood to the urine. The latter is then thrown out of the body. You will learn more
about digestion and absorption in the next unit.
You must have now realized why nutrition concerns itself not only with the body's
handling of nutrients and other food components, but also with food acceptance. We
cannot-expect members of a community to immediately accept a food just because it
is rich in nutrients. We have to consider any food from their point of view. Is it a
food rejected by their culture? Is it a food considered to be a "prestige" food in that
community? (Here, of course, we mean foods which are accorded a high status
because they are expensive o r because they are consumed by people of higher status
in society). Are all population groups belonging-to that community allowed to '.
consumz the food item or is it forbidden in the case of pregnant women or infanh?
l3is shows us how important it is to keep a person's socio-cultural background in
mind whenever we talk of,improving or modifying food-relared practices.
The psychology of eating: How does a person react to food? What psychological
factors influence our eating patterns? Consider examples A to C.
Example A: Minnie is a housewife. She gives her whole family vitamin tablets
because she thinks this will keep them healthy arid full of energy. Her friend tells her
that she needs no vitamin tablets because the same vitamins can be supplied by the
ordinary foods consumed. Minnie does not agree; for her the vitamin tablet is a n
answer to all ills.
Example B: Raju, a five-year-old boy, loves to watch television. He sees the
numerous advertisements for foods like instant noodles, soft drinks, toffees and
chocolate every single day. His mother frequently gets annoyed because he wants her
to purchase the foods he sees on television even thaugh she tries to convinw hini
that they are not good for health.
Example C: Sarla has just given birth to a baby boy. Her mother-in-law insists that
she consume ti1 laddoos, panjiri and ghee to stimulate the flow of breast milk. (Ti1
laddoos are sweet balls made of jaggery and sesame (til) seeds, panjiri is made of
whole wheat flour, sugar, nuts and far) Sarla does as her mother-in-law advises.
Have you gone through the three examples carefully? You must have noticed the
importance of peoples attitudes t o food in determining the type of foods they select
and the quantities they eat. Many factors influence our choice of foods such as
advertisements and the attitudes of other people around us. Our reactions to these
influences often determine both what we eat and how much we eat. One example is
the child who seeks to avercome a feeling of insecurity or inferiority by eating more.
Another child may seek to overcome the same feelings by eating less. Thus our
individual reactions to food and to the people around us can have a signficant
psychological influence on our eating pattern.
The economics of food: Food costs money. It must be within the reach of people
and it must be equitably distributed to all sections of ihe population. The availability
of food and its proper distribution are of great importance. You may have heard of
people dying of starvation even when plenty of food was available. In India, for
example, agricultural production has consistently increased. However, the problem of
distributing our food surplus still remains. As a result large sections of our
population do not get enough food. These are only some of the larger economic
issues of interest to everyone. Our ultimate aim should be to ensure the good health
of all individuals. Towards this end. we need to ask and try to find answers to
Basic CO.ICL.I)IS m
Nutrition-I
How do we meet the food needs of people who do not have the qoney to
purchase adequate amounts? Should we give them food as payment for work done
by them or should we help them out by giving extra food at cheaper rates or fret
of cost?
How much food'must we produce in order to meet the needs of people?
How can we ensure that food reaches all sections of people? Is our network of
ration shops and the public distribution of food adequate?
What types of food should be grcnvn? Do we need to increase production of
pulses and oilseeds, for example?
These issues are difficult to resolve. It takes time and the coordinated effort of
planners, farmers, suppliers and consumers of food products.
One dimension which is also gaining prominence is spiritual health. You would
notice that this dimension is not mentioned in the definition. This is a newer
dimension which is gaining recognition though it is still not precisely define+.
Source : Adapted from Table I . I in fisentials of Nutrition and Diet Therapy by Sue R . Williams, 4th ed.
( 1986)
It is impossible t o realize the goal of social health if mental health has not been
achieved. Any type of mental ill health will adversely influence interaction with
others and therefore diminish one's ability to be a useful member of society.
Similarly. a person who does not enjoy physical health would find it difficult to
Basic Concepts in achieve secfal health. Physical ill health often-makes one irritable and depressed and
Nutrition-I unable t o reach out t o others normally.
How does one recognize social ill health? Criminals are examples of socially ill
individuals. They indulge in behaviour that'is not socially acceptable and can be
called anti-social. Theft, murder and destructive behaviour are examples of anti-
social behaviour. Smiety actively controls such behaviour since ignoring such acts
would destroy society itself.
1.4.4 Spiritual Health
Spiritual health is the most difficult t o define. We, a s Indians. probably understand
spirituality more because in our society religious and moral codes of behaviour are
easily observable. A healthy individual obeys these moral codes most of the time.
The concept of doing good and of not harming others; of believing in the basic
forces of goodness and justice whether or not thkse are worshipped as God; of
recognizing the needs of others and trying to fulfil them; of commitment. duty and
obligation, these are all characteristics of a spiritually well person. Spiritual health is
certainly not easy t o attain!
One must also emphasize that blindly follbwing religious practices and customs does
not necessarily make a person spiritually healthy. Spiritual health is 'more a matter of
attitude's and a way of looking at situations and people. What is important is
concern for others and a genuine desire t o help and be of assistance.
You will understand the coqcept better with the help of a n example. If a person doc
not :onmume .enough of vitanin C-(one qf the water-soluble vitainins), its levels in
the bload will drop and one can predict that the person is likely to get vitamin C
deficiency. This finding can be confvmcd if a look a t the diet reve8b very few foods
being eaten which a n rich in this vitamin.
It must bc emphasized. however, that though good food is one of the crucial
factors in ensuring health, it is not the only one. The food eaten must not only be
nutritious.but it must be wholesome and clean and free from harmful germs. If this
is not so, the person eating the food would get ill even if the food is nutritious.
Before we go any further. you need to be familiar with the term "malnutrition".
Malnutrifion is un impairmenr of health resulting from a defiiencj: excess or
imbalance of nutrients. In other words, malnutrition refers to both undernutrition
and overnutrition. Undernutrition means a deficiency or lack of one or more
nutrients and overnutrition means excess of one or more nutrients. Both
undernutrition and overnutrition result in ill health.
One prominent example of undernutrition in our country is vitaminA deficiency.
When young children do not consume enough vitamih A-rich foods. their eyes are
affected and ultimately blindness results
A disease that we easily relate to overnutrition is extreme ovefweight or obesity.
When a,person takes in more energy than he is able to spend on his daily activities,
he accumulates fat in the body and his weight increases. If the weight increases
su6rtantially, the person becomes obese.
This section has just introduced you to some aspects of the interrelationship between
outtition and health, It will be our aim.in thi? course to tell you much more about
t h e e a n d other isma ro that you can apply this information in your day-today life.
Basic Concepts in
Nutrition-I Check Your Progress Exercise 4
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2) List three different aspects of the interrelationship between nutrition and health.
Food has been described as "anything which nourishes the body". Food, we learnt,
has many specific functions. It provides energy, helps build the body, protects it
against disease and regulates body processes. In addition, it h.elps to bring peogle
together. It is also a means whereby emotions and feelings are expressed.
Various aspects of the study of nutrition have been enumerated in this unit.
Nutrition encompasses the study of food and how it is handled by the body. It alsb
explores the influence of soc~al,psychological and economic factors on our eating
patteins.
Health and its various dimensions have also been discussed>Health is a state of
complete well-being. It has physical;-inental, social-and spiritual dimensions. The
interrelationship between these dimensions has been highlighted.
In addition we have talked about the fact that nutrition and health are intimateiy
linked. Good health cannot be achieved without eating the proper kinds of foods in
the amounts needed.
1.8 GLOSSARY
Benediction Blessing
Cell The smallest unit of an organism that is able to function
independently
Deficiency A condition of the body resulting from an inadequate
dietary intake of one or more nutrients
Delicacies Special dishes made for certain occasions
Development changes leading to greater complexity hnd finally leading to
maturity of the individual
Diet Food items (dishes) you eat during the course of a day
Eating Pattern The number of meals, the types of foods,served
Growth Changes such as increlrse in size and number of cells
Impairment Appearance of ill health
Implication Meaning. significance
Infirmity Physical or mental weakness
Lesion Abnormality in structure and/ or function
Food, Nutrition
Menu : List of dishes included in a particular meal and ticalth
Nou* : To make well and strong
Obesity : Extreme overweight
Tissue : A number of similar cells in the body together form a tissue
I) The state of complete physical. mental and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease o r infirmity.
2) Physical, mental, social, spiritual
3) Suraj is not healthy. This is because he is not ,showing indications of optimum
health and optimum functioning even though he is free from disease.
I) Good health cannot be achieved without good food. This statement js true.
Nutrition is one of the major factors influencing the health of an individual.
Since food is the source of nutrients, selecting and consuming the right types of
food in the right amounts becomes important. If the diet is poor, ill health will
result because of deficiency or excess of one or more nutrients.
2) Causation of diseases by deficiency or excess of nutrients; effect of nutrients
in preventing disease and promoting quick recovery; good nutrition as one of
the factors ensuring good health.